his account, and find he thinks he has money to receive, and,
though I endeavour by this post to convince him he is mistaken,
yet possibly he may not be immediately satisfied, so as to pay
that order; therefore, lest the delay should be inconvenient to
you, I send the six pistoles enclosed. But if the order is paid,
give those to brother John, and desire him to credit my account with them.

Your affectionate brother,

B. FRANKLIN

"On the Voyage to Antigua"

[Printed first in Sparks, Familiar Letters, pp. 24-26, with the correct
date, but wrongly dated November 14 in Sparks, Works, VII, 59, and
by later editors. Here printed from the manuscript in the American
Philosophical Society. The letter opens an episode which runs through
the Franklin-Mecom correspondence for the next four or five years.
In 1748 Franklin had sent Thomas Smith, a journeyman who had
worked for Franklin both in New York and in Philadelphia, to Antigua
in the Leeward Islands, where Smith in that year established The Antigua Gazette. After Smith died in the summer of 1752 Franklin somewhat hurriedly decided to send Benjamin Mecom to take Smith's place.
The best account of the venture is by Wilberforce Eames, "The Antigua Press and Benjamin Mecom,"Proceedings of the American
Antiquarian Society, New Series, XXXVIII ( 1929), 303-348. Much of
the account is based on Franklin's letters to his sister and her husband
from this date to February 21, 1757.]

Philada Sept. 14. 1752. NS.

DEAR BROTHER & SISTER,

Benny sailed from hence this Day two Weeks and left our
Capes the Sunday following. They are seldom above 3 Weeks
on the Voyage to Antigua.

That Island is reckoned one of the healthiest in the West
Indies. My late Partner there enjoy'd perfect Health for four
Years, till he grew careless and got to sitting up late in Taverns,
which I have caution'd Benny to avoid, and have given him all
other necessary Advice I could think of relating both to his
Health & Conduct, and hope for the best. He will find the
Business settled to his Hand, a Newspaper establish'd, no other
Printing-house to interfere with him or beat down his Prices,

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